DON’T: Gamble with money you can’t afford to lose. If your emergency fund needs work, or you have high interest debt, you probably can’t afford to lose a single dollar. DON’T: Stick with investments you do not understand properly for now. DON’T: Seek out quick ways to get high returns, as they carry tonnes of risk and analysts say they can be a bit tricky to manage properly. DON’T: Give up if your first investment choice doesn’t work out as you had hoped. DON’T: Wait. Thanks to compound interest, you would still earn more over the life of your investments by investing less now than a bigger chunk later. DO: Tonnes of research. Before locking your hard-earned dollars into a stock, mutual fund, exchange-traded fund or other market investment, be sure it’s worthy of your money. DO: Diversify your investments and equate the concept of “diversification” with “owning many investments.” A portfolio should not be varied only in number, but types of investments too. DO: Pay very close attention to fees. It pays, literally, to research the costs associated with all possible investments before making a final decision. DO: Maintain cash savings. A separate, cash savings account should always be maintained for immediate needs and you never want your emergency savings to be tied up. DO: Have patience. It’s key to remember that consistantly monitoring and tweaking one’s portfolio, it’s hard to reap benefits. 
